Camp Bisco X finale: Wolfgang Gartner / Pretty Lights

Published: August 2, 2011

By: Jamie Reysen

The tenth anniversary of Camp Bisco was jam-packed with talent across the board, from DJs to jam bands and everything in between. It was a great and memorable weekend, but all good things must come to an end. Camp ended in a big way at the Grooveshark tent, with back-to-back late night sets by Wolfgang Gartner and Pretty Lights.

Wolfgang Gartner’s skill is nearly indisputable among electronic music fans. Over the past year, he has rapidly amassed a following of fervent fans who’ve come to love him for electro-house sets that are just as masterful as they are danceable. He has perfected the art of the anticipatory buildup, followed by the epic drop that sends dance floors worldwide into beat-fueled frenzies.

Camp Bisco’s organizers couldn’t have chosen a more perfect slot for the Grammy-nominated producer—he appeared onstage at the Grooveshark tent at midnight on the final day of Camp.

Gartner (born Joey Youngman) didn’t waste any time. Within five minutes, he kick-started the shrill, familiar sound of “Space Junk.” The lull before the song’s synthy build-up was quickly filled by a deafening roar of approval for the track, one of his most popular to-date. Gartner spun his well-known hits like “Illmerica,” “Animal Rights,” and “Undertaker,” alongside lesser-known electro-house remixes. It was easy to become completely immersed in his fluid set; it felt like the only indicator of time was how out-of-breath we all were when it ended.

Ménage à Trois Preview

But Grooveshark attendees got a second wind almost immediately as Derek Vincent Smith, better known as Pretty Lights, took the stage for Camp’s grand finale. The set got off to a rocky but funny start, when there appeared to be a sound issue. The crowd started to boo and scream, “Louder,” until sound was fully restored, at which point they went wild once again (this time, in a more positive way).

Pretty Lights brought one of the weekend’s more extravagant light shows, with beams of color shooting from every imaginable direction, and his set was a fitting way to end the festival. He played what felt like his entire discography as Camp wound down. Some kept dancing through the end, while many sat down to listen, talk among friends, and reflect on the weekend. That’s the cool thing about Pretty Lights—his music seems to morph into whatever you want it to be at that moment. After what felt like hours, the dream-like set ended, wishing Camp Bisco goodnight—until next year.